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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bear — the animal
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. season — in sport
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bound — certain
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rush — hurry
  16. season — of the year
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. last — final
  23. bound — tied together
  24. last — to go on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com